John William McNaughton, Sovereign Grand Commander announced that the Northern Masonic Jurisdiction that, “…the Supreme Council's Almoner's Fund made a commitment to our Brethren in both New Jersey and New York. To each of those jurisdictions, we pledged $1,000,000 for the purpose of assisting in their efforts to start the rebuilding process.”

This news is a real boost to efforts to help Masons in need in these areas. Our fraternity was on the ground in both states shortly after the super-storm hit, working alongside Masonic Lodges that were organizing food and clothing to those whose homes were destroyed. In the first few days of the disaster, the Scottish Rite distributed more that $200,000 in debit cards to Brothers – financial relief at a time when many banks were closed and ATM machines were empty. Ill. Brother David A. Glattly, Deputy for New Jersey, has been spearheading the effort in the Garden State. He has visited and directly helped many of his fellow Masons. For men whose home has been ravaged this can me quite emotional. Brother Glattly describes the experience:"The response by our Masonic Brothers is heartwarming when we offer them financial assistance. It is difficult for a Mason, familiar with giving charity, to instead accept it. We have often shared tears and hugs with our Brothers. These are special moments."While the storm occurred October 28, the work to rebuild continues. If you want to help, you can donate to the Scottish Rite Benevolent Foundation Almoners Fund by going to http://www.scottishritenmj.org/ and access “Donate Now” under Almoner’s Fund.